Descriptions of the best varieties of blackcurrant and regions of their cultivation

Everyone's favorite - black currant - grows well throughout Russia - from the European part to Siberia and Lake Baikal. Many varieties of this garden crop have been cultivated. It withstands frosts and bears fruit even in dark places, somewhat reducing the yield. Let's consider how to choose black currants for planting - varieties by region, ripening time and resistance to frost and pests.

Large-fruited varieties of black currant

Varieties with large berries are pleasing to the eye and are characterized by high yields. They are easy and pleasant to collect, many are self-pollinating, which makes them even more productive. The best of these types of currants are sweet, fragrant and store well.

Vigorous

Yadrenaya is distinguished by large berries, the weight of which reaches 6-8 grams. The skin is dense, the seeds are small. There are up to 10 currants per bunch. The harvest does not store for long; it needs to be processed within 3 days. It is also not recommended to transport Yadrenaya. Collection - up to 6 kilograms.

The taste of currants is quite sour; as the bush ages, the amount of sugar in the berries decreases. The bush ages quickly, without proper care - very quickly.

Selechenskaya-2

An excellent variety with grape-like berries (up to 6 grams). Early fruiting, bushes are strong, tall (up to 1.8 meters), stand upright.

Selechenskaya-2 has a slight sourness (sugar - 7.3%) and a pleasant taste. 2.5-5 kilograms are collected from one plant. It tolerates extreme temperatures and is not afraid of powdery mildew.

Izyumnaya

Refers to early varieties. Izyumnaya fruits grow up to 1.9-3.2 grams, 6-12 pieces per cluster. Sugar – 9.1%. The fruits sit firmly on the bush and do not fall until autumn. Currants dry out on the bush, turning into something like raisins.

It withstands frosts and attacks of diseases and pests. Among the problems is that it is difficult to propagate, since it does not root well from cuttings.

Dobrynya

Medium ripening period. The color of the berries is black with a blue tint, weight is 2-7 grams, there are few seeds inside. During the season, Dobrynya produces up to 2.4 kilograms of fruit.

Suitable for regions where winter does not drop below -25°. Dobrynya does not tolerate transportation - it wrinkles and cannot be stored for a long time.

Gulliver

The variety was bred in the Bryansk region and recommended for the European part of the country. It has very large fruits - 1.7-6 grams on clusters of 9-17 pieces.

Up to 3.5 kilograms of currants are harvested from the Gulliver bush. This is an early ripening variety. Breeders have declared frost resistance down to -28°, but under the snow the bushes can survive even more severe frosts.

Gross

The variety has spreading bushes of medium size, a very long life span - up to 25 years. During the season, 3-4 kilograms of currants are harvested from one plant. The berries are large, with dense pulp, and are well stored, as they are not damaged when torn off.

Gross easily tolerates cold winters (up to -35°) and is not susceptible to disease.

The sweetest varieties

Sweet varieties include varieties with a sugar content in berries of more than 10%. Most types of currants do not reach this indicator. These varieties of bush currants make jams and desserts tastier. Sweet fruits are better eaten by children, who often ignore the berry, considering it sour.

Green haze

The hybrid was created at VNIIS Michurin and entered into the register in 2004. Cultivated:

• central part of Russia;
• Ural;
• Siberia.

Medium-sized bushes, branched. The size of the berries is 1.2-1.5 centimeters. The length of the brush is 7-9 centimeters, the skin is thin and does not tear when torn off. Sugar percentage – 10.1.

During the season, you can harvest 3-5 kilograms from Green Haze. Fruits after the first winter. Due to the high percentage of pectin, it is well suited for making marmalade, jelly, and jelly.

Nina

Bred in Altai, it has a high sugar content - 11%. The bushes are low and dense. It reproduces well by lateral root shoots, which are formed in large quantities.

The Nina variety has fragrant berries up to 1.3 centimeters in size, and the yield is high. Disadvantages include short shelf life and damage during transportation.

Bagheera

Mid-season variety, produces up to 5 kilograms of berries per season. The average sugar level is 10.5-11%. The bushes are resistant to a wide variety of weather conditions - heat, frost, drought. Disease resistance is average.

Bagheera fruits reach, on average, 1.8 grams, tenaciously hold on to the clusters, and do not fall off for a long time.

Information: black currants are superior to white and red currants in ascorbic acid content.

Constellation

A variety of black currant with berries weighing 1.2-1.5 grams. High-yielding, the next year after planting it produces up to a kilogram of berries without watering. Sugar – 11.6%.

Maturation is simultaneous. Easy to propagate, frost-resistant.

Far Eastern brown

Medium-sized bush, light brown buds. Far Eastern brown has berries up to 1.3 grams of black-brown color. Sugar – 7%. Refers to dessert types - tasty and fragrant. When ripe, it holds firmly on the hand and does not fall off.

Requires good soil and care, ripens in turn - you have to collect several times. Not suitable for machine collection.

Repairable species

Gardeners know nothing about the presence of remontant blackcurrant species. Some summer residents consider remontant varieties, the berries of which do not fall off for a long time and hang until autumn.

Varieties resistant to drought and frost

For our northern country, with little rainfall in many regions, we have to look for currant varieties that will withstand frost and at the same time be drought-resistant.

Breeders have developed varieties that can withstand:

• frosts up to -40 °;
• buds do not die at temperatures down to -5 °;
• the ovary can withstand -2°.

These properties have: Treasure, Sugar, Prestige, Belarusian Sweet Early, Constellation.

They tolerate heat and small amounts of water well: Rita, Prestige, Hercules, Bagheera, Venus.

Disease resistant

You should choose a blackcurrant variety based not only on taste, yield and suitability for the region, but also taking into account its resistance to infection by parasites and diseases.

The following types of blackcurrants are not afraid of powdery mildew:

• Selechenskaya-2;
• Binar;
• Titania;
• Pygmy;
• Vologda;
• Faceted;
• Perun;
• Ilya Muromets.

Good resistance to kidney mite is shown by:

• Perun;
• Exotic;
• Summer resident;
• Degtyarevskaya;
• Gamma;
• Moscow.

They are not afraid of fungal infections: Gamma, Sevchanka, Perun, Orlovia.

Inexperienced gardeners, who will not be able to cure a plant if infected, need to choose resistant varieties especially carefully. Invulnerability against diseases is one of the main characteristics of the variety, since the struggle for the recovery of the plant takes a lot of effort from gardeners, and the quality of the fruit suffers.

Early varieties of black currant

Blackcurrant bushes bloom in mid-May, but ripen at different times. You can choose a variety not only by its taste characteristics and resistance to adverse factors, but also by its ripeness period.

Early types ripen at the end of June and do not have exceptional taste due to lack of heat and sun. Most of them are not industrial and cannot be stored for a long time. What types of early ripening blackcurrants there are are listed below.

Titania

It belongs to the industrial varieties, since the berries sit well on the hand, are not damaged when picked by machine, and are stored for a long time. Titania was bred in Sweden. Fruiting period is 11-15 years.

2-5 kilograms of berries are collected from the bush. The fruits on the cluster vary in size - from 1.5 to 4 grams, the number reaches 20 berries. Sugar – 6.6%. Titania is great for jam, jellies, and desserts.

Fruits well with frequent watering and fertilizing.

Black Pearl

It has a medium-sized bush with a small number of leaves, which provides good ventilation and lighting. The berries are well transported due to their thick skin and are not damaged when torn off.

Contains sugar in a volume of 9.3%. Self-fertile variety - no pollination required. The berries are medium-sized and have a pearly sheen. Ripens early. It holds up well against frost, and has average resistance against disease.

Pygmy

The variety was created for the cold regions of Siberia, but gradually spread to the European part of the country. With feeding and watering it produces more than 5 kilograms of currants per bush.

Despite the name, the bush sometimes reaches 2 meters in height. Pygmies are easily distinguished by the bronze color of their buds. The berries are large, 5-7 grams, contain sugar in volume - 9.3%.

Pygmy produces constant high yields, is not susceptible to powdery mildew, and tolerates low temperatures well.

Late ripening

They bloom along with other types of black currants, ripen for a long time, gradually gaining taste and smell, and therefore are the sweetest and most fragrant. Most varieties are productive, with thick skin. They are stored for a long time. They ripen one at a time - they also need to be collected so that the finished fruits do not crack and fall to the ground.

Daughter

This variety has a medium-sized bush with unpronounced branching.Daughter's berries - from 1.2 to 2.3 grams, on a brush 5-7 centimeters long.

Currants come off easily, without damage, and are stored well. Up to 4 kilograms per year are obtained from the plant. Powdery mildew is dangerous for my daughter.

Vologda

Has large lush bushes. The skin is dense, with ribbing. The taste has sourness, sugar – 8.1%. Vologda berries hold well on the hand, but if not picked in time, they crack. The harvest can be up to 4 kilograms.

It is considered frost-resistant, but if the temperature drops too much, the buds may freeze.

Lazy person

Ripe berries have a blackish-brown color and grow on a powerful bush with a large number of shoots. The weight of currants is 2.5-3.1 grams.

A distinctive feature of Lazy is the instability of the harvest, which fluctuates within significant limits - 1-8 kilograms. The harvest depends on care and the vagaries of the weather. Resistant against diseases and cold.

Arcadia

An excellent variety with a sugar content of 8.4% and a yield of about 2.5 kilograms. Arcadia has fruits - 2.7-5.2 grams.

Not afraid of frost, protected from powdery mildew and mites. Light thin branches often fall to the ground due to the large number of berries.

Medium ripening

The fruits are ready by mid-summer. The berries contain the maximum amount of vitamin C; jams, desserts, and jams are prepared from them. They suffer from diseases more often, so treatment with fungicides in the spring is required.

Dubrovskaya

This type of black currant has short clusters, up to 6 centimeters, with large berries (up to 2.3 grams). The bush needs to be thinned regularly due to its tendency to thicken.

During the season, Dubrovskaya produces up to 3.8 kilograms of good-tasting currants (sugar - 7.2 grams). Susceptible to powdery mildew.

Crane

The crane does not deteriorate during transportation and collection by agricultural machinery. With good care, the berries grow up to 1.5 grams.

Crane is a medium-sweet species with a pleasant smell and thin, delicate skin.

Altai late

This species has a thin skin and produces a consistently high yield. It is grown in industrial quantities, as it can be harvested using agricultural machinery. Gives a full harvest on any soil. Sugar – 6.8-8%.

Altai late is weakly resistant to powdery mildew.

Tatyana's Day

The berries are large (up to 1.4 grams) and sweet (9.3%). The brushes are up to 7 centimeters in size, the fruits are densely located. The bushes are spreading and do not suffer from low temperatures and lack of moisture.

Tatyana's day does not lose its shape, retains its taste after freezing and drying, jam and other sweet products retain the aroma of fresh fruits.

The variety is not resistant to powdery mildew and mites.

Pearl

It has a yield of 2.8 kilograms. The berries are large – 3-6 grams. The pearl ripens at the same time, the entire harvest is harvested at once.

Refers to dessert types, the taste and aroma are pronounced. Fruits well in light soils and moisture.

For northern regions and Siberia

Russian breeders are working on blackcurrant varieties that can produce a stable harvest in the conditions of the northern regions and the wide temperature range in Siberia. Such species must bear fruit in conditions where little else grows.

Gift to Kuzior

The variety was obtained at the Siberian Horticulture Research Institute and is recommended for cultivation in this region.

Gift Kuzioru has large berries weighing 1.9-3.5 grams, few seeds inside, and the skin is strong. The bushes are not very dense, which provides good lighting. The harvest ripens well and is stored well.

Globular

The weight of each berry is 1.6-2.8 grams. The spherical ripen together, usually they get by with one harvest. The harvest can be transported without loss of quality.

Black currant Globulus is not afraid of powdery mildew and aphids; other pests need to be treated.

Prestige

Withstands frosts down to -40 °, while having excellent taste and fruits up to 3.3 grams. Prestige can be transported, the berries are well preserved.

The yield is stable, up to 3 kilograms per plant. Not afraid of powdery mildew, aphids.

For the Middle Band

For the central part of the country, many types of currants have been bred, which differ in terms of readiness and flavor shades. You need to take a closer look at the varieties described below.

Summer resident

A variety with large fruits - currants weigh 2-5 grams. Sweet fruits – 9.3%. The skin is thin and delicate.

The summer resident ripens together, the branches often fall to the ground, the berries fall to the ground. The harvest must be collected on time. Used for freezing, jams, jams.

Exotic

Currants grow up to 3-5 grams, the sugar content greatly depends on the soil and weather conditions. The berries are tasty and fragrant. The delicate skin often leads to damage and rotting, so it is not worth transporting the crop.

Up to 3.5 kilograms of Exotics are collected from the bush. Resists well against major diseases and pests.

Venus

The Venus variety grows well in places with unstable weather and is suitable for planting in the northern regions and the Baltic states.

The berries weigh 2.5-6 grams, ripen unevenly, and will have to be harvested several times. Up to 5 kilograms of currants are obtained from the bush. The berries have a thin skin and are pleasant to the taste.

They easily tolerate frosts down to -35° and do not need insulation.

Favorite

Favorite berries have thin skin and weigh 3-4 grams. The fruits ripen by the end of July.

Productivity – up to 3.5 kilograms per bush. The plant holds its shape well, even strewn with berries.

For the Moscow region

Most of the well-known and beloved blackcurrant varieties bear fruit well in the Moscow region and neighboring regions, including Nizhny Novgorod.

Popular varieties are successfully cultivated here: Dachnitsa, Selechenskaya-2, Dobrynya, Lentyay, and many others.

Moscow

On a long cluster there are large currants - 1.3-2.2 grams. Sugar content – ​​9.8%. The description of the variety suggests a pear-shaped currant.

The best harvest is obtained with careful care - fertilizing, regular pruning. Collection from a bush - 4 kilograms.

Litvinovskaya

Currants grow in tall bushes reaching 2 meters. Due to its weak branching, it does not take up much space.

The taste of the berries is sour, since the sugar content is 7%. It sings together, the harvest is large - up to 8 kilograms per plant.

It loves not very heavy soils, is not drought-resistant, and requires regular watering. Tolerates frosts well.

For Crimea and southern regions

For the southern regions of the country, other requirements for varieties come first - resistance to high temperatures and lack of moisture.

Breeders managed to obtain heat-resistant species - Bagira, Vinogradnaya. Selechenskaya-2 tolerates heat well, does not crack or crumble to the ground.

Gulliver has high heat resistance and is resistant to diseases.

Seedless currant variety

The hybrid variety Seedless is a real find for those who do not like blackcurrants because of their seeds, which interfere with the perception of taste. The berries are not just seedless - they are large (1.3-1.4 grams), with a high content of vitamin C, and a pleasant taste.

The new variety produces 3 kilograms of berries, and with careful care (feeding with compost and mineral fertilizers), the yield increases.

Astakhovsky varieties

Varieties of breeder A.I. Astakhov have excellent taste and good characteristics:

1. Gift of Smolyaninova. Sugar – 7.8%. The weight of the berries is 2.8-4.5 grams. Ripen in the first half of July. Productivity is high. Adapts well to any conditions.
2. Sevchanka. The fruits are large - 2-3.5 grams, sugar - 6.9%. Currants are drought resistant. Recommended for cultivation in central regions.
3. Nara. Ripening - early July. Sugar – 6.8%. Transports well.

A.I. Astakhov developed many varieties already described above - Selechenskaya-2, Perun, Izyumnaya, Gulliver, Dobrynya.

About 200 varieties of black currant are known. Breeders are working to create new hybrids, giving their favorite berries greater resistance to diseases and improving taste characteristics. Black currants are loved in our country and we look forward to new varieties - sweeter, larger and more aromatic than the previous ones.